James showing ‘steady and consistent’ signs of improvement

Gloucester resident Andy James, who was seriously injured last month when a tractor he was driving was rear-ended by a minivan on Route 14, is improving at Riverside Rehabilitation Institute in Newport News.

According to J.D. Clements, chief of the Gloucester Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department, Inc., James’s general improvement has been "steady and consistent." However, Clements said he still has a long way to go before a full recovery is made.

Clements said James was moved from the Intensive Care Unit at Riverside Regional Medical Center in Newport News Tuesday afternoon to an ICU step-down unit at Riverside Rehabilitation Institute. Clements said James will remain there for a considerable length of time until he accomplishes certain goals. Then, as improvements are made, he will be transferred to another area of the Institute.

Clements said the James family is very appreciative of the calls and prayers on Andy’s behalf. "We feel they’ve been a very significant part of his healing," he added.